Pint owners Wolf Sterling and Tommy DeMaio — Screenshot: Pint / Instagram
Pint, a popular gay bar in Jersey City, New Jersey, is facing backlash after its trivia host awarded “best team name” to a group whose name referenced seven men accused of gang rape at a Cornell University fraternity party.
One team called itself “Cornell 7 inches” at the bar’s weekly Wednesday night trivia event, according to a Reddit post.
“When we heard that name our jaws literally dropped,” wrote the Reddit poster. “I cannot believe someone would make light of something like this, and there were two teams of women there. And as if that’s not bad enough, later on the host was announcing their score thus far, and said ‘name is a little uncomfortable… but voted best name!’
“Genuinely WHAT. THE FUCK. WHO VOTED THIS,” the poster continued. “I really thought gay men would be better but I guess not. Safe to say we are not going again.”
Other commenters accused the bar of being insensitive or hostile toward women.
Pint founder and owner Wolf Sterling apologized for the incident in an Instagram video alongside his business partner, Tommy Demaio.
“When we came into work today, we found out that last night, without our knowledge, our trivia host awarded ‘Best Team name’ to a team that had a truly offensive name — a name that violates both how we want to treat our community and the standards we have for our business,” Sterling said.
Sterling said the bar had fired the trivia host and would donate all revenue from that night’s event to sexual violence prevention programs.
“We want to thank the community members that brought this to our attention,” Sterling said. “Our goal, and the goal we’ve had for 17 years, running this bar, is to make it a safe, welcoming space for everyone. If you ever feel like you are treated in that manner, let us know, and we’ll address it.”
Some Instagram commenters accused the bar of throwing the trivia host “under the bus,” claiming that other employees or patrons had helped select the winning name.
Pint’s official Instagram account disputed claims that the name had been selected by a vote, responding to one critic with, “It was not voted. It was chosen by the trivia host, who has been fired.”
The “Cornell 7” case centers on a woman’s allegations that seven men gang-raped her at a Chi Phi fraternity party in 2024. She filed a federal lawsuit against Cornell University and the fraternity. Details of the lawsuit, including images of purported messages exchanged by fraternity members during the alleged assault, have sparked discussions about consent and sexual assault on college campuses.
The lawsuit alleges that two of the seven defendants were expelled, while the other five were suspended, required to attend workshops, and assigned essays. Cornell disputes claims that any of the men were punished only with essays, according to Time.
Jersey City Councilwoman Eleana Little, whose Ward E includes Pint, condemned those who make light of sexual assault.
“This kind of behavior has no place in Jersey City. I strongly condemn sexual assault and those who would treat it as a joke,” Little said in a statement to NJ.com. “It’s good to hear that the owners of Pint took swift action after learning of this incident. Accountability matters.”
Leon's of Baltimore, a gay bar in Baltimore's Mount Vernon neighborhood, and its adjacent sister bar, Leon's Backroom, will reopen today, September 30, after abruptly closing earlier this year.
Known as Baltimore's oldest gay bar, Leon's has operated since the 1950s. It last opened its doors on July 15 for a special shift before temporarily closing following the death of longtime owner Ron Singer.
Before closing, the bars operated seven days a week, from 4 p.m. to 2 a.m., and touted never charging a cover on their website. Leon's and Leon's Backroom -- with entrances on Park Avenue and Chase Street -- regularly hosted karaoke nights, drag shows, bingo nights, and viewing parties, and offered daily happy hour drink specials from 4 to 9 p.m.
Joseph LoGiudice, the founder and clinical director of Manhattan's Liberation Psychotherapy, an LGBTQ-centered practice, has been indicted on charges of sexually assaulting two patients, including allegedly raping a man in his 30s in his office.
According to prosecutors, the patient -- who was attending therapy to cope with a sexual assault -- told LoGiudice he did not want to have sex because he was recovering from anal surgery.
At an October 1 bail hearing, Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Claudia Khoury-Yacoub alleged that LoGiudice began sexually exploiting the patient shortly after he joined the therapy group in fall 2022.
New Jersey detective Russell Kingsland claims he suffered years of anti-gay harassment while working for the Office of the Attorney General's Division of Criminal Justice, including sexual assault, retaliation, and being "outed" to co-workers -- treatment he says destroyed his law enforcement career.
Kingsland plans to sue the office for $1.5 million, alleging that the treatment caused post-traumatic stress disorder that has hampered his ability to work.
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